Anderlecht reportedly reject Arsenal's opening offer of £13.5m for midfield starlet Albert Sambi Lokonga, with the Belgian side holding out for a fee closer to £18m.

Arsenal have reportedly had an opening bid of £13.5m for Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga rejected by the Belgian club.

The 21-year-old rose through the youth ranks at Anderlecht and has been a first-team regular over the past two seasons, chipping in with three goals and two assists in 27 league appearances last term.

Arsenal have already missed out on the signature of Emiliano Buendia, and a recent report claimed that Martin Odegaard is set to stay at Real Madrid in a further blow to their hopes of signing a new creative midfielder.

As a result, the Gunners are believed to have set their sights on a move for Lokonga, but the Daily Mail claims that a £13.5m bid has been swiftly knocked back by Anderlecht.

The report adds that the Belgian giants would entertain an offer closer to £18m, though, and there is optimism on both sides that a fee can be agreed as talks continue.

Lokonga has scored three goals and set up seven more in 78 appearances for Anderlecht across all competitions, and he is not due to become a free agent until the summer of 2023. body check tags ::

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